Check your mindset

“No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.” Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

What do people really mean when they talk about mindset? Leading Stanford University Professor Carol Dweck, author of the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success found after decades of research that there are two main types of mindset: fixed and growth. People with a fixed mindset – those who believe that abilities are fixed – are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset – those who believe that abilities can be developed. Her book Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.

Our mindsets are about how we think: about ourselves, our circumstances, situations, interactions, people, you name it. And it impacts our outcomes and our lives in every way imaginable. In my book Lead Like A Woman, I wrote about a concept called Gender Mindsets, outlining three main ways that women think about their gender at work.

Gender mindset one is where women think that their gender is negative, that being a woman is a detriment to their ability to succeed at work. This could include thinking that they are being excluded from networks, not getting certain jobs or clients or perhaps not gaining a pay rise, because they are a woman.

Gender mindset two is where women think that their gender is neutral, that being a woman has no impact on their career success. Women in this mindset believe that they have just as many opportunities as their male counterparts, and gender is a non issue.

Gender mindset number three, is where women think that being a woman is an asset in their working life. They see their inherent feminine traits as a benefit to their career, having a positive impact on everything from how they do their work to their leadership ability.

Mindsets are a continuum, so it is rare to only sit in one space. Rather, we move from mindset to mindset based on the situation we find ourselves in and our reaction to it.

When we look at gender mindsets, it begs the question, where do you sit? What reaction did you have to reading these categories? Were you triggered at all at the thought that you might possibly think that being a women is detrimental to your career success? You wouldn’t be alone.

The most important aspect of any mindset is knowing which one will help move you toward what you want most, rather than away from it. Negative mindsets keep us stuck, stagnant, fearful and contracted. Telling ourselves the truth about how we feel, what we think and then having positive strategies in place to take the next right action, is often enough to keep our mindset geared in the right direction. Make sure you’re getting the support you need to cultivate a positive mindset, get past any stories that keep you stuck, and move in the right direction to achieve your goals.

Join The Career Toolkit online program where we work through key aspects that impact and strengthen your mindset when it comes to your career and life like confidence, strengths, career planning, vision and purpose and more.

Invite me into your workplace to speak or run a workshop on mindset, confidence, strengths, grit and resiliency, wellbeing or leadership. Learn more here.

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